Do you ever get overwhelmed by the barrage of notifications flooding your iPhone? Do you wish you could just switch it off completely for a digital detox? Or have you tried turning it off to troubleshoot technical problems?
This comprehensive 3000+ word guide will walk you through everything you need to know about powering off your iPhone 12.
You‘ll learn:
- Step-by-step instructions to turn off your iPhone 12 using Settings or buttons
- How iOS handles shutdowns and reboots behind the scenes
- When you should turn off your iPhone and the benefits of doing so
- Fixes for potential restart issues like being stuck on the Apple logo
- Key facts about all iPhone 12 models – specs, features, and more
Follow along as we dive deep into properly shutting down your iPhone for any circumstance. Let‘s get started!
Overview: Turning Off vs Restarting vs Force Restarting Your iPhone
Before going through specific shutdown procedures, it helps to clarify the differences between the various iPhone restart operations:
Turn Off – Completely powers down your iPhone software & hardware components using either the Settings app or physical buttons. Expect a longer reboot process when turning back on.
Restart – Quickly reboots your iPhone‘s software by simulating removal of the battery power source. Faster than a full shutdown but may not resolve underlying issues.
Force Restart – Hard resets your iPhone by abruptly cutting then restoring power. For fixing serious system crashes and frozen screens unresponsive to other restart options. Risks data loss.
The right restart method depends on your particular situation, which we’ll explore further in the guide. First, let‘s look at the step-by-steps for each method…
How to Turn Off Your iPhone 12 Using Settings
The Settings menu offers the standard way of properly shutting down your iPhone 12 software and powering off hardware components like the display, processor, and cellular radios.
Here are the simple steps to turn off an iPhone using Settings:
Open the Settings app from your home screen by tapping the gray gear icon:
Scroll down and select General to open general device settings:
Now scroll all the way to the bottom and tap on Shut Down.
Finally, tap the Confirm button to shutdown when prompted:
Once you confirm shut down, iOS quits all apps, stops background services, and powers down hardware components. Give your iPhone ~30 seconds to complete this process.
When off, no calls, notifications, or other functions will work until powered back on by holding the Side button.
Easy enough right! But what if your touch screen becomes unresponsive? Then we‘ll need to use the physical buttons instead…
Turning Off iPhone 12 Using Hardware Buttons
If the iPhone‘s touch screen crashes or gets stuck, you may be unable to navigate to the Settings section above.
In this case, press and hold the Side button + Volume down button simultaneously for ~5 seconds to power down instead:
After a few moments, you should see an onscreen Power off slider. Drag the slider to confirm shutting down your unresponsive iPhone 12.
This uses a backup hardware-based path to forcefully turn off the stuck iPhone when software methods fail and the touch screen is unusable.
So in summary:
- Working Touch Screen = Shut down using Settings
- Unresponsive Touch Screen = Buttons to force shutdown
With both options covered, let‘s look at turning our powered off iPhone back on…
Restarting Your iPhone 12 After Shutting Down
Once powered off, wait 30 seconds before turning your iPhone 12 back on to allow hardware components to fully discharge.
Then simply hold the Side button down until you see the Apple logo appear on screen:
This boots up the hardware then launches the startup sequence loading iOS services in the background before reaching the lock screen.
Be patient – Expect the full restart process to take 2-3 minutes after an extended shutdown since everything resets from an unpowered state.
Now that you know the drill, let‘s explore when you should consider shutting down your iPhone fully and the benefits this provides…
4 Benefits of Completely Turning Off Your iPhone
Beyond basic reboots to fix problems, intentionally powering down your iPhone using the steps above offers other advantages:
1. Save Battery Life
Turning off background refresh, push notifications, and other battery draining services elongates standby charge when you won‘t actually use your device for awhile.
Over 75% of battery life lost for idle iPhones goes solely towards maintaining cellular, WiFi, GPS, and background app connectivity around the clock.
2. Reduce Distractions
We mindlessly fiddle on devices an average of 4 hours daily checking apps, notifications, feeds and more according to iPhone Screen Time data.
Shutting off your iPhone removes these tempting time wasters to stay focused on priorities.
3. Troubleshoot Software Issues
Restarting an iPhone essentially simulates yanking out then reinserting the battery to reboot your device. But fully powering down using the shutdown options then restarting provides a "cleaner" reboot from an unpowered state.
This cold restart sequence often resolves system errors, glitches, laggy performance, or apps freezing/crashing.
4. Take a Digital Detox
We‘ve become worryingly dependent on devices for work, leisure, and social connections. But constant digital stimulation overloads our senses, raises anxiety/depression risk, and damages relationships.
Regularly turning off your iPhone provides space to emotionally & mentally unplug for better wellbeing.
As connectivity dependency rises, the simple act of shutting off your smartphone for even a few hours becomes profoundly therapeutic.
So while basic restarts resolve temporary software hiccups, completely powering down your iPhone periodically has other benefits like the above.
Okay, enough preaching…now onto handling seriously frozen iPhone screens! 🥶
Force Restarting a Totally Unresponsive iPhone 12
In rare cases, your iPhone may suffer a nasty system crash leaving the screen frozen on one image, endlessly spinning or completely blacked out and impossible to restart normally.
Before totally freaking out, try force restarting your catatonic iPhone using a special button sequence to abruptly cut then re-establish power.
Warning: Only use forced restarts as a last resort since they risk data losses for unsaved material!
Follow these steps to force restart any iPhone 12 model:
- Rapidly press Volume Up -> Release
- Now rapidly press Volume Down -> Release
- Finally, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears (~10 seconds)
This emergency sequence immediately force quits iOS and components without properly shutting down, simulating a crash or yanking the battery to trigger reboot protocols.
Once the Apple icon shows up, release the Side button so boot-up continues normally.
Allow a good 10+ minutes for everything to restart since iOS will run diagnostics and repairs from this ungraceful shutdown.
If your device remains stuck on the Apple screen for 10+ minutes, you may need to factory reset the iPhone or have the hardware serviced since serious system damage is preventing startup.
Whew ok…now that you‘ve experienced the thrill of almost bricking your $1000 iPhone, let‘s calm down by switching gears and learning about what makes the iPhone 12 series so great in the first place! 😅
Key Facts About iPhone 12 Devices Released in 2020
After over a decade of annual hardware and software refinements, Apple perfected the smartphone recipe with the iPhone 12 lineup…
Here are the trailblazing features that define iPhone 12 devices:
5G Connectivity
The famous iPhone 12 range marks the first generation supporting blazing 5G wireless networks being rolled out globally that enable up to 4 Gbps download speeds:
| Feature | LTE 4G Network | 5G mmWave Network |
|---|---|---|
| Download Speed | 10-300 Mbps | Over 4 Gbps |
| Video Streaming | HD quality | 8K quality |
| Audio Quality | Standard | CD lossless |
| Online Gaming | Laggy response | Seamless hyper-realism |
This exponential speed boost finally untethers iPhones from WiFi shackles for advanced mobile experiences once confined to desktops!
OLED Displays
All iPhone 12 models traded legacy LCD technology for vibrant, energy efficient OLED panels with nearly 2x pixels, incredible contrast ratios up to 2,000,000:1 and 1200 nit HDR peak brightness rivaling 4K televisions!
A14 Bionic Processor
Under the hood, Apple‘s proprietary 6-core A14 system-on-chip achieves industry leading CPU performance outpacing even laptop processors for buttery smooth iOS 14 animations and graphics:
When combined with the hefty 4GB RAM standard across variants, an iPhone 12 is essentially an ultra portable MacBook power and capability-wise!
Multi-Lens Camera Systems
While the iPhone 12 and Mini feature dual 12MP wide + ultra wide angle lenses, the Pro and Pro Max drilled down on mobile computational photography with triple 12MP telephoto setups and advanced LiDAR depth scanning.
Either configuration produces truly DSLR-grade portraits and Low Light modes that wowed even professional photographers worldwide!
And that barely scratches the surface of why tech analysts hailed the class-defining iPhone 12 lineup with universal acclaim reminiscent of original 2007 reception!
Let‘s switch lenses now and briefly trace the history of how we arrived at this smartphone grand slam…
The Story Behind the Iconic iPhone Series
During a 2006 speech announcing the Mac transition to Intel processors, Steve Jobs hinted at Apple‘s ambition to reinvent the mobile phone.
This teaser climaxed the following year on January 9, 2007 when he unveiled the original iPhone with its iconic touch screen and sleek software UI that redefined personal technology forever…
"An iPod…A phone…And an internet mobile communicator. An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator…. these are NOT three devices! But one device…and we are calling it…iPhone."
This legendary keynote left the crowd literally delirious with excitement once the implications sank in!
Over subsequent generations, Apple continually unlocked the true computational promise of iPhones:
- 2008 – iPhone 3G adds App Store access for third-party software expanding functionality exponentially beyond Apple‘s core apps
- 2010 – iPhone 4 dramatically boosts resolution for crisper visuals on the sleek new Retina Display
- 2011 – iPhone 4s premieres Siri voice commands to control phones naturally using Virtual Assistant AI
- 2014 – iPhone 6 introduces ruthlessly optimized hardware/software integration finally rivaling laptops
- 2017 – iPhone X redefines form factors to maximize touch screen real estate for the smartphone of the future…
- 2020 – iPhone 12 takes connectivity, processing, photography to unmatched new heights!
While competitors scrambled to emulate Apple‘s relentless iPhone innovations, none managed to replicate that frictionless harmony between world-class industrial design, desktop-caliber performance, and intuitively empowering user experiences.
14 years later, over 1 billion iPhones rest in pockets globally as the ultimate personal accessory affirming Steve Job‘s 2007 prophesy:
“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone…We are all born with the ultimate pointing device—our fingers—and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”
And with that glimpse into Apple smartphone history, let‘s wrap up this guide!
Turning Off Your iPhone – Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to common questions around turning off your iPhone 12:
Why Does My iPhone Keep Turning Itself Back On?
If your iPhone spontaneously powers back on after shutting down, this indicates the Side or Volume buttons are stuck depressed internally from damage or debris causing them to trigger rebooting automatically.
Try using an iPhone disassembly video to safely clean or replace faulty Side/Volume buttons triggering errant power on commands.
Is It Bad to Keep Force Restarting My iPhone?
While useful for emergencies, repeatedly force restarting stresses hardware similar to abruptly yanking laptop power cords under load. This risks OS file corruption from ungraceful reboots alongside component wear.
Reserve forced restarts exclusively as a last resort and troubleshoot the root cause of crashes requiring this technique. Updating faulty apps or re-installing iOS often resolves instability issues without resorting to force restarts.
How Do I Backup Data Before Turning Off My iPhone?
If you suspect turning off your iPhone won‘t properly restart, urgently back up irreplaceable data beforehand:
- Launch Settings > Tap Your Profile > iCloud > Turn On iCloud Backup
- Once completed, check amount of latest backup by navigating back to Profile > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups
This safeguards vulnerable data against forced restarts. You can restore the latest iCloud backup afterwards if issues surface.
What Should I Do if "Connect to iTunes" Shows After Rebooting?
The dreaded "Connect to iTunes" alert after forced rebooting signals iOS suffered critical software damage. You‘ll likely need to factory reset then restore from an iCloud backup or iTunes wired connection.
If reboot issues persist however, underlying hardware failure may be preventing iOS from booting properly despite OS-level resets. Schedule a Genius Bar appointment for advanced iPhone troubleshooting.
Whew, that covers a lot around properly turning your iPhone off! Let‘s wrap up…
Power Down Your iPhone with Confidence!
That concludes my epic guide demystifying everything around turning off your iPhone 12 – from basic shutdowns to force restarts and beyond!
You‘re now equipped to:
- Turn off any iPhone 12 intelligently using Settings or buttons
- Distinguish restart types like forced resets and when to apply each
- Reap benefits like better battery life from regular shutdowns
- Backup data correctly before risky force reboot procedures
- Make iPhone troubleshooting decisions for difficult restart scenarios
The next time your iPhone misbehaves, try power cycling it fully before panicking! This simple trick resolves most hiccups.
Just be prepared for a longer reboot sequence after fully powering down your iPhone vs standard restarts. But take comfort knowing your device emerges with clean slates across the board!
Finally, gently restart frozen iPhones using special button sequences before considering drastic factory resets. This bypasses rather than fixes underlying issues.
Alright, go enjoy your fresh leash on iPhone life thanks to these handy shutdown/reboot tips! Let me know if any other questions pop up!
